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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — completely
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. shower — rain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com